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Men bear brunt of man flu survey

Allen Newton

New research suggests man flu really is a thing and that blokes admit to suffering from it.

It’s cold and flu season, so once again us poor blokes are being picked on about the mythical man flu by the purveyors of pills and potions.

It’s just not right to lump us all in the same bucket.

Some of us do have a bit of back bone and when the sniffles strike, we straighten up, push our shoulders back and press on regardless.

We are not all a bunch of sniffling snivellers who lay claim to man flu at the first touch of a cough.

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The latest attack on us comes from a survey by Vicks, which suggests three quarters of women believe their partner displays childlike behaviour when colds strike.

Rubbish! My survey of blokes in the newsroom reveals that 98 per cent of men are the “soldier on” types who battle through illness in the face of all odds.

The smelly rub company survey reveals 73 per cent of women believe “a cold can transform a strong, strapping man into a big kid, with a need to be waited on hand and foot (47 per cent) or reassured that he really is sick (46 per cent)".

“It’s also not uncommon for men to like being tucked into bed when they are struck with a cold or flu [15 per cent],” the survey says.

Look, I don’t mind a bit of affection at any time and cold or not I’ll be happily tucked into bed. Doesn’t mean I’m playing up to my cold symptoms.

To rub salt into our macho wounds the survey also claims that 79 per cent of women believe they are better at handling colds or flu than their partner and a whopping 98 per cent say male partners are more demanding than they are when they are sick.

Even my fellow males let me down in this survey, with both men and women suggesting that man flu exists.

Apparently 59 per cent of women believe in man flu and 44 per cent of men say they have suffered a cough or cold which could be described as man flu.

Thank heavens there’s a 56 per cent majority, which like me, have never experienced this man flu business.

Even comedy man Jonathan Coleman has come out in support of the survey (I wonder how much he was paid for this campaign?).

“A severe cold can hit at any time and reduces even the manliest of men [including myself] to a man child,” he says.

“My wife can tell I’m acting like a man child when my eyes turn watery, I’m buried in tissues or when my bottom lip starts to quiver when I’m not getting my own way.”

Sounds a bit of a sooky la la to me. Man up Mr Coleman.

Hmm, think I might have just found a telling statistic.

“Men are not convinced of the superiority of their better half. Overall 46 per cent of men believe they handle a cold or flu better than their partner and only 32 per cent acknowledge that their partner is better,” the survey says.

Ooh, I think I can feel a tickle in my throat, must be the man flu coming on.

The study was conducted by Galaxy Research in April 2014 among a sample of 1253 Australians aged 25 to 54.

6 comments

And how does this translate to men who's partner is a man? It takes two to tango so I would be laying some of the blame on women who treat their man like a child when he is sick.

Commenter

Peter

Date and time

May 16, 2014, 1:42PM

Women are complainers. If they couldn't complain when men got sick, they would be very unhappy. So they made up the term 'man flu' so that they can feel ok about themselves when they ridicule a sick male.

Commenter

Shaking Eagle

Date and time

May 16, 2014, 2:03PM

Agreed. My fiance soldiers on and if he feels a bit weak or like he's getting sick he just makes sure he doesn't overdo it outside of work hours. So he will come home, get an early nights sleep and look after himself. I don't know where this man flu idea came from, but like all things, don't let it get to you. It's pretty humorous and if you're upset at the notion of man flu then maybe you are too sensitive.

Commenter

Shopgirl

Date and time

May 16, 2014, 2:41PM

Who takes the most sick days, women or men ?

Commenter

Mark

Location

Perth

Date and time

May 16, 2014, 2:51PM

Maybe us men are the smart ones. Stay in bed, get a full day of sleep and recovery, get better, then get back to work. It works for me and I would average maybe one sick day a year.It seems that women take great pride in struggling through it over numerous weeks, coughing and spluttering over everyone in the name of "soldiering on" and "being tougher than men"...but really....is that helping anyone?

Commenter

Zootie

Location

Perth

Date and time

May 16, 2014, 3:12PM

Um.... the "man flu" is a real thing.

Men have weaker and slower immune systems. They get heavier infections, worse blood results, higher temperatures.... for longer. Men act more sick.... because they get more sick.

Surely in 2014 people aren't still ignorant enough to believe it is a difference in mindset or something? Surely?

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